By Heather Long and Patrick Gillpesie, CNN Money

The rise of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, many say, is a reflection of the anger in America today.
In numerous polls, voters say America’s economy is their No. 1 issue. They believe the middle class is dying, trade is killing U.S. jobs and that their kids won’t have a chance to get ahead.

There’s some rationale behind their claims.

“The American worker is being left behind,” says David Workman Sr. He’s “almost 70” and a registered Republican, but he says he’ll vote for Sanders. If Sanders doesn’t make it to November, he’ll support Trump.

Trump polls well across the board, but he does best with white men who don’t have a college degree and make under $50,000 a year. Sanders also polls best with whites, especially middle class whites.

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·       The Beacon restaurant’s snowshoe cocktail races are March 19 and April 16. The races are free. Sign up between 5-7pm, the race starts at 7pm.

·       Park rangers at Mormon Station in Genoa on March 27 at 1pm will prepare a special ham with sides to share with visitors, and discuss how pioneers used the same cast iron cooking techniques in the 1850s. This event is free and all ages are welcome.

·       There will be a blood drive at Whittell High School on March 22 from 8:30am-2pm. To schedule an appointment, call Kate or Casey at 775.588.3591.

·       Truckee Boosters 4th annual Golf Tournament is May 22 at Old Brockway Course in Kings Beach.

·       Late-Nite Productions presents a free show with San Francisco reggae rockers Audiodub, plus special guests Little B*tches – a tribute to Weezer warming up the show. This is March 19 at Whiskey Dicks Saloon in South Lake Tahoe for those 21 and older. Doors open at 9pm.

By Seth Borenstein, AP

Climate science has progressed so much that experts can accurately detect global warming’s fingerprints on certain extreme weather events, such as a heat wave, according to a high-level scientific advisory panel.

For years scientists have given almost a rote response to the question of whether an instance of weird weather was from global warming, insisting that they can’t attribute any single event to climate change. But “the science has advanced to the point that this is no longer true as an unqualified blanket statement,” the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine reported.

Starting in 2004, dozens of complex peer-reviewed studies found the odds of some extreme events – but by no means all – were goosed by man-made climate change. This new field of finding global warming fingerprints is scientifically valid, the academies said in a 163-page report released Friday. The private non-profit has advised the government on complex, science-oriented issues since the days of President Abraham Lincoln.

When it comes to heat waves, droughts, heavy rain and some other events, scientists who do rigorous research can say whether they was more likely or more severe because of man-made global warming, said academies report chairman David Titley, a Pennsylvania State University meteorology professor. And that matters.

“While we plan for climate, we live in weather,” Titley, a retired Navy admiral, said in an interview. “These extremes are making climate real when in fact they are attributable to climate change.”

Not all weird weather can be blamed with any degree of certainty on global warming, according to the report.

“For a certain class and type of event there is a human fingerprint,” said report co-author Marshall Shepherd, a University of Georgia meteorology professor. The report says there is “high confidence” in studies looking for climate change connections between extreme hot and cold temperatures, such as the Russian heat wave of 2010. There’s medium confidence in efforts trying to attribute droughts and extreme rainfall.

Hurricanes and other tropical cyclones, wildfires and severe thunderstorms are on the low end of the confidence range, the report found.

In some cases heat and lack of rain combine and the studies find a viable connection to global warming, such as in the recent four-year California drought and the drought that hit Syria and neighbors, Titley said.

“The fog of uncertainty that obscured the human role in individual events is finally lifting,” said Princeton University Professor Michael Oppenheimer. He wasn’t part of the study, but is on the board of Climate Central, which manages a large climate attribution project.

Good attribution studies are based on what Titley calls a “three-legged stool” of observational records of decades of past events, detailed understanding of the physics that cause the weird weather itself, and sophisticated computer models that simulate the chances of the extreme event if there were no man-made, heat-trapping gases warming the atmosphere.

“It’s just like an autopsy,” said Martin Hoerling, a National Oceanic Atmospheric and Administration research meteorologist who has conducted several attribution studies, finding a climate change connection in some events and not finding a link in others. “We’re following the data wherever it goes.”

Titley said attribution studies are “based in physical science and statistics that don’t value Republicans or Democrats. The ice just melts. This has nothing to do with politics.”

These studies don’t say an event was 100 percent caused by climate change. They usually say chances were increased by a certain fraction.

Katharine Hayhoe, a Texas Tech climate scientist who wasn’t part of the study, praised the work: It is “very important to clarify to people how no event is black or white: No individual weather event can be said to be ‘solely’ human nor ‘solely’ natural any more. They are somewhere on the sliding scale between.”

But other scientists don’t like the idea of looking at single events.

Climate change caused by man “has fingerprints in every weather event we experience today,” wrote Oklahoma University meteorology professor Jason Furtado, who wasn’t part of the study. “Disentangling the contribution of climate change with natural variability for a single event is not fruitful or currently possible in my opinion.”

Eventually, Titley hopes, the science of climate change fingerprint detecting will advance so that meteorologists can make testable forecasts of a certain number of extreme events in a season.

By USSA

YABULI, China – It was an American sweep at the World Snowboard Federation’s Corona World Championships of Snowboarding slopestyle event, where Brandon Davis (Mammoth Lakes) took the title for the men and Jamie Anderson (Meyers) won her second title of the week. Julia Marino (Westport, Conn.) scored her first major slopestyle podium with a third-place finish for the ladies.

Anderson, who also won the big air world title on Sunday, linked up a technical run to take the win in slopestyle on Tuesday. Tricks like a Cab 720 to switch backside 540 and high-caliber rail riding, finessed with her trademark smooth style, earned Anderson the top spot on the podium. The 25-year-old from Tahoe capped off a stellar season after recovering from a broken collarbone in early December; Anderson’s season included the two WSF World Champion titles, an X Games silver medal, her third-consecutive U.S. Open title and three World Cup wins.

Marino officially made it a breakout year with her podium at the World Championships, after winning the Polartec Big Air at Fenway event in February for her first major win. At just 18 years old, Marino became the first woman ever to land a double in slopestyle competition and she landed not one, but two in the same run—a Cab double underflip on her first jump and a double backflip on her last jump. Marino, who didn’t land her first two runs, had to face the pressure of putting it together on her third and final run, but she didn’t hold back with a safety run.

“I fell on my first two runs so the pressure was on for my last one,” Marino said. “I’m so glad I was able to put it down; I’m just flowing with happiness right now. I didn’t do the double wildcat in practice but I really felt it because I did a bunch of singles on the jumps.”

Karly Shorr (Milford, Mich.) finished ninth, Kirra Kotsenburg (Park City, Utah) was 10th and Jessika Jenson (Rigby, Idaho) was 12th.

The WSF World Championship title was Davis’ second major win of the season, after taking the top spot on his home turf at the Mammoth U.S. Grand Prix in February.

“Today was interesting, I was just having a lot of fun,” Davis said. “I had fallen on my first two runs and I was still having a ton of fun up there – that’s really what snowboarding’s about. I kept my energy high and my expectations low and it ended up working out for me.”

Davis also gave props to his teammate Chas Guldemond (Reno), who won the last World Champion title in 2012. “The only thing that blows my mind is the last person that won this contest was Chas Guldemond, and Chas is a legend.”

Eric Beauchemin (Grand Blanc, Mich.) had a great performance, finishing just off the podium in fourth. Nik Baden (Steamboat Springs, Colo.) was 10th and Ryan Stassel (Anchorage) finished 12th.

By Tia Rancort

With all the recent snowfall we’ve been experiencing and more on the way, it’s a good reminder to be aware of avalanche potential and educate ourselves on proactive steps to take before going outside to recreate – whether skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing or hiking.

Proactive steps that you can take before going out include:

·         Check Sierra Avalanche Center’s recorded avalanche advisory at 530.587.3558, ext. 258.

·         Go online to learn more details about avalanche safety and training classes that are available. Also, most local sports shops offer free classes and training throughout the winter.

·         Recognize warning signs:

o   Such as recent avalanches (if there are new avalanches, it’s likely that more are possible in that area).

o   Signs of unstable snow as you travel (cracking or collapsing snowpack, whumpfing sounds, hollow drum-like sounds on hard snow).

o   Heavy snowfall or rain in the past 24 hours (significant snowfall or rain can make the snowpack unstable; avalanches are often triggered the first clear day after a storm; because it’s sunny doesn’t mean it’s safe).

o   Windblown snow (loads leeward slopes, even when it’s not snowing out).

o   Significant warming or rapidly increasing temperatures (warm temps and gravity can cause the snow to creep downhill and become less stable).

o   Persistent weak layers (can be triggered weeks after a storm, they can be difficult to identify so check the Avalanche Advisory for your area)

·         Identify avalanche terrain:

o   Slope angle (avalanches are possible on any slope steeper than 30 degrees, and occur most frequently on slopes 35 – 50 degrees).

o   Terrain traps (anything that increases the consequences of being caught in a slide such as cliffs, trees and rocks).

o   Common trigger points (under certain conditions avalanches may be triggered from flatter areas in the runout zone or along ridge crests)

o   Aspect (which way does the slope face in relation to sun, wind?).

·         Safe travel protocol:

o   Back country travelers should carry proper gear such as a transceiver, probe, and shovel.

o   Always carry your gear on your body with your transceiver turned on.

o   Consider riding with an inflatable pack to increase your chances of staying on top of an avalanche.

o   Practice with your gear regularly. Seconds count and your gear only works when you can use it confidently and efficiently in bad conditions.

o   Carry the gear and supplies you need to survive an injury or a long evacuation in winter conditions.

o   Be able to communicate with your partners and rescuers.

o   Remember that your gear helps you have a safer and more fun day – it does not guarantee your safety.

o   Never expose more than one person to avalanche danger at a time (one on a slope at a time).

o   Stay alert to changing snow stability due to changes in aspect, elevation, or weather factors (heavy precipitation, wind or warming).

o   Communicate within your group, have options.

o   Be prepared to do a rescue.

For more information on avalanche safety, go online.

Remember, the best tip is to “Know Before You Go”, the avalanche danger rating is only a starting point. You control your own risk by choosing where, when and how you travel.

Tia Rancourt works for North Lake Tahoe Fire Protection District.

The Douglas County Public Library is hosting a program about the history and art of falconry.

It will be March 26 at 2pm with local falconers Mark Moglich and his son, Ryan Moglich, who will bring his peregrine falcon. Three generations of the family are breeders and falconers.

Falconry is the only sport that utilizes a trained wild creature. It requires long hours, constant devotion, skill, and an understanding of how the birds behave. The Moglich family is licensed to train birds and raise a number of different types of birds of prey.

The Douglas County Public Library is located at 1625 Library Lane in Minden.

To the community,

The board of directors, staff and children of Austin’s House would like to thank the entire community for the tremendous support of our 2015 Appeal For Kids and 2016 Cowboy Mardi Gras fundraisers.

The 2015 Appeal For Kids ended on Jan. 31 and our generous community stepped up once again to help local children in crisis. The Cowboy Mardi Gras fundraiser on Feb. 26 was our best ever. Everyone had a great time for a great cause. Every dollar raised will be used to pay for operating expenses at Austin’s House.

It would be impossible to thank everyone who donated and surely I would leave off a deserving name. We would like to recognize the following donors. Thank you Patty Clark, owner of Century 21 Clark Properties and founder of the Austin Kirby Foundation who donated $50,000. Our three sponsors for Cowboy Mardi Gras: Thank you Carson City Toyota Scion, Carson Valley Medical Center and Frontier Communications.

Thank you to the following who purchased full tables at the Cowboy Mardi Gras: Hettrick Electric, GE, Cristek Interconnect, Brenda Robertson, Heritage Law, Douglas County, Town of Genoa, Pet Sitters, CASA of Douglas County, Edward Jones, Century 21 Clark Properties, David Shriver, United Electric and Carpet Cops. Thank you Jennifer McLaughlin of Sierra Canopies who did all the beautiful decorations.

I am truly honored to live in our beautiful Carson Valley with such generous neighbors. Austin’s House was built entirely with donations and your continued support keeps our beautiful facility open. Thank you very much.

Conrad Buedel, Austin’s House board of directors

By Ryan Sabalow, Mark Glover and Dale Kasler, Sacramento Bee

With California’s two largest reservoirs hitting historically average levels following a weekend of heavy storms, the state’s chief water regulator is cautiously optimistic that the drought may finally be relaxing its grip.

If the wet weather continues, she said, the urban conservation mandates that turned lawns brown and have Californians taking shorter showers may be eased in the weeks ahead.

“In May, we’ll be either lifting it or changing it significantly,” Felicia Marcus, chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, said Monday. “The more precipitation we get, the more snowpack we have, the better it is.”

Over the weekend, the state’s largest reservoir, Shasta Lake, surpassed its historic average for this time of year. The second largest, Lake Oroville, hit that mark Monday afternoon. It marks the first time since 2013 that the reservoirs have reached their historical averages for this time of year, said Doug Carlson, a spokesman for the Department of Water Resources.

Read the whole story

By Associated Press

SAN FRANCISCO — Google is about to embark on an old-school search, swapping its Internet algorithm for a custom-built van that will cruise across the U.S. to find out how people use its online services and react to new features.

The white van emblazoned with Google’s colorful logo and an invitation to “shape the future” of the world’s most powerful Internet company is scheduled to pull out Monday on a six-week road trip.

Google is using the van to help it break out of its Silicon Valley bubble. The van will make multiday stops in seven states, stopping near colleges, libraries, parks and some of Google’s own regional offices in hopes of finding out how average Americans are using the company’s multitude of digital offerings.

About 500 walk-up volunteers will be invited to step inside the van designed to serve as a mini-version of Google’s Silicon Valley laboratories, where most of the company’s user studies are conducted.

Once inside, researchers will watch, question and record how the volunteers use apps and other services on their smartphones in sessions that will last 15 to 90 minutes.

They will receive gift cards and Google t-shirts in return for their time.

A few may even get a glimpse at ideas that Google’s engineers are still refining before the company decides whether to release them as products to the general public.

The plan to build a research lab on wheels grew out of Google’s recognition that most people don’t live and think the same way as the population living in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the company does most of its user research.

In this geeky and affluent area, the day’s biggest worry sometimes boils down to how long it will take to summon an Uber ride to a fancy restaurant.

“We are trying to understand the whole end-to-end experience, which is why we are trying to get out to more locations and see more people so we can gather more context,” says Laura Granka, a lead Google researcher focusing on Internet search and maps.

Google is usually in the thick of the action on people’s computers and mobile devices, with seven different services boasting at least 1 billion users: Internet search, YouTube, maps, Chrome browser, Android software for mobile devices, Google Play and Gmail.

Traveling the country in search of more diverse opinions makes sense to San Diego State University marketing professor Steven Osinski, although he suspects the van’s road trip is more of a goodwill tour than a data-gathering expedition.

“I don’t know how much more they are going to learn that they are not aware of right now,” Osinski says. “With just one van, whatever data they get is likely to be very anecdotal. It will be a good public-relations story, but it doesn’t really strike me as a real game changer in terms of research.”

Granka, however, says Google’s marketing department didn’t have any involvement with the upcoming tour.

“It is purely driven by research and our desire to reach and understand more of our users,” she said.

The journey marks another step in Google’s evolution from a freewheeling company that routinely introduced services with a “beta” tag to signify they hadn’t been thoroughly tested.

Releasing products in test form hatched some hits, including Google News and Gmail, but it also produced some embarrassing duds. The list of flops includes a confusing document-sharing tool called Wave, a short-lived virtual world called Lively and a privacy-invading social network called Buzz.

Now, Google is taking a more deliberate approach that relies on more extensive research before its products hit the market.

In another sign of its transformation, Google last year folded itself into Alphabet Inc., a holding company that oversees many of the experimental projects, or “moonshots,” that formerly came out of Google.

After leaving New York, the van will be stopping in Chapel Hill, N.C., from Monday through March 18; Clemson, S.C., March 21-22; Atlanta, March 23-25; Boulder, Colo., April 4-8; Salt Lake City, April 11-15; Reno, April 18-20; and South Lake Tahoe, April 21-22.

If the trip yields helpful insights, Google plans to send the van on several shorter junkets to cities across the country later this year and may eventually hit the road in other countries.

By Associated Press

The recent storms in Nevada and California have given Lake Tahoe a boost, according to the National Weather Service.

The storms added about 5.9 billion gallons to the lake, according to NWS meteorologist Marvin Boyd in Reno. More precipitation is expected in the weeks ahead, and that plus snowmelt should help raise the lake level.

“We’re pretty close to where we’re supposed to be right about now,” Boyd said Monday. “We do show some more systems coming through next week. … We’ll still get systems going through the area but they tend to be warmer.”